TEACHER TRAINING:

Who is Really Running the Schools?

Author found the document below which appears to have been authored by the “National Association of School Psychologists” ( http://www.nasponline.org/advocacy/School_Discipline_Congressional_Briefing.pdf). The Eugenicists, Social Darwinists, racial and ethnic cleansers or “hygienicists” and professional managerial and directorial level misogynists have landed. Now Iauthor of this post understands what all the teachers were talking about when they reported that most all of the new teachers right out of college were being pushed out of the profession and discouraged from continuing before their careers even started. That was just after the new millenium kicked-off.

One might even go so far as to call them professional con/tract killers.

Read between lines –certain words are written, or, “coded,” to mean the opposite of their intended meaning or perceived meaning by the average American layperson or the general public.

Caveat Emptor (“Buyer Beware”).

Effective School Discipline Policy and Practice:

Supporting Student Learning

Effective school disciplineis critical to promoting students’ successful learning and well-being. Effective practices ensure the safety and dignity of all students and staff, preserve the integrity of the learning environment [ or judicial, legal, “helping,” “protecting,” and law enforcement systems for “sustainable”until the age-end-at 21/Agenda 21 con tract expires and the federal state block grant funding, or “water fawcett” keeps flowing for the “school-to-prison pipeline“], and address the causes of a student’s misbehavior in order to improve positive behavioral skills and long-term outcomes.

Specifically, effective school discipline:

 is viewed within the context of a learning opportunity and seeks to teach and reinforce positive behaviors to replace negative behaviors;

 is clear, consistent, and equitablyapplied to all students;

 employs culturally competent practices;

 safeguards the well-being of all students and staff;

 keeps students in school and out of the juvenile justice system; and

 incorporates family involvement.

In contrast, purely punitive “get tough”approaches such as zero tolerance policies do not work.

They simply suppress unwanted behavior temporarily while increasing negative consequences, such as reduced perceptions of safety and connectednessamong students and the perpetuation of the school-to-prison pipeline.

While the robustresearch on the negative effects of overly harsh discipline has grown exponentiallyin recent years, it has been known for decades.

1 . One“evidence-based” approach that has demonstrated broad success in many different school contexts across the country is positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS).

The PBIS approach operates within a multitiered system of supports (MTSS) framework that encompasses universal prevention and skills building, early identification and intervention, and targeted supports for learning and behavioral concerns.

This approach has proven instrumental in enabling schools to shift from ineffective punitive discipline to more effective positive discipline that functions in concert with efforts to support students’ mental health and promote positive school climate and safety.

Legislative Priorities School safety, positive school climate, and effective discipline practices are key components of a successful school.

One of the most important investments we can make in improving student outcomes and stopping the school-to-prison pipeline is to support public policies that:

 provide training and support for teachers and other school personnel; and

 ensure access to specialized instructional support personnel.

Several pieces of legislation have been introduced in the 113th Congress directly address these policy priorities. Mental Health Awareness and Improvement Act of 2013 S. 689.

This bill would allow states to use Title I [historically and generally known or purported to a funding program for parent participation in the schools in defined low income areas]funds to expand the use of positive behavioral interventions and supports and early intervening services to improve student academic achievement and behavior. 2

Safe Schools Improvement Act of 2013, H.R. 1199 & S. 403.

This bill establishes policies that prohibit bullying and harassment in schools. It also encourages the use of positive and preventative approaches to school discipline that minimize students’ removal from instruction.

Partnerships for Achieving Student Success Act (Introduced April 16).

This bill would authorize grant funding for university–school district partnerships to increase the number of school psychologists, counselors, and social workers in schools.

Student Support Act, H.R. 320.

Allows for grants to increase the number of school mental health services providers—like school psychologists, social workers, and counselors—in order to provide more early intervention and prevention services.

Youth PROMISE Act, H.R. 1318. Enables communities, in collaboration with schools, social services, mental health providers, and other community stakeholders, to develop coordinated prevention and intervention strategies to target students at risk of entering the juvenile justice system. Selected Supporting Research Fair and Consistent Discipline

 Consistent enforcement of school discipline and the availability of caring adults are associated with less bullying and victimization, suggesting that discipline practices should not be polarized into a “get tough” versus “give support” debate because both contribute to adolescents’ healthy functioning2 .

 Students who perceive greater fairness and clarity of rules in their schools exhibit less delinquent behavior and experience less student victimization3,4 .

 Students view teachers as reacting to classroom misbehavior by increasing coercive discipline, which inhibits the development of responsibility in students

5 . More school rules and higher perceived strictness predict more disruptive behavior in school—not less, and more severe punishments generate defiance among certain youth

6 . Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports

 School-wide behavior management that is implemented by supportive leadership and dedicated and collegial staff can help minimize the risks for youth delinquency7 .

 School-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports are associated with more equitable discipline practices among students from all racial and ethnic backgrounds13 .

 The more family and community involvement activities are implemented, the fewer students are disciplined by being sent to principals’ offices or given detention or in-school suspension.

Thus, creating more connections [ as in, The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008, Re-Authorized 2010]and greater cooperation among the school, family, and community contexts helps schools to improvestudent behavior and school discipline

14 . Social and Emotional Development

 Students who participate in school-based social and emotional learning programs show significant improvement in social and emotional skills, caring attitudes, and positive social behaviors, and a decline in disruptive behavior and emotional distress15 .3

 Social and emotional learning programs have significant preventive effects on rates of aggression, social competence, and academic engagement in the elementary school years

 School-based mental health services in elementary schools have been found to reduce special education referrals and improve aspects of the school climate18 .

 Reduced absences, discipline referrals

19, and conduct problems are evident in children with severe emotional and behavioral difficulties when school-based mental health services are available

20 . School-Employed Specialized Instructional Support Personnel

 More support personnel are needed to support teachers, who cite student discipline problems ??? Re-Read this statement.

21, lack of student motivation22, and issues with work place conditions or the administration as reasons for leaving the profession—issues that specialized instructional support personnel are trained to address23.

 School psychologists work with teachers and administrators to collect and analyze data on risk and protective factors related to student outcomes24, and there is evidence that addressing these factors in schools promotes children’s well-being and resilience25 .

 Data from nearly 500 studies indicate that the impact of promotion and prevention interventions is at least two to three times higher when programs are carefully implemented by qualified personnel who have expert knowledge of the relevant issues being addressed26 .

27,28, and they negatively impact a disproportionately large number of minority students 29 .

 Empirical evidence has not shown zero tolerance policies to be effective in reducing violence or promoting learning. In fact, they can inhibit academic achievement and increase problem behaviors and dropout rates among middle and secondary school students30,31 .

 Zero tolerance policies ignore adolescents’ lapses in judgment—a normal part of their development, potentially resulting in more severe punishment than is warranted and exacerbating the normal challenges of adolescence32,33 . Suspension, Expulsion, and Office Disciplinary Referrals [veiled threat not to step out-of-line with the other Nazi SS followers and criminal psychopaths who are “just doing their job,” or, “trying to support their family.”]

 Student discipline is increasingly viewed by American schools as a crime control issue34, with many states criminalizing student misbehavior and referring students to the juvenile justice system for infractions that were once handled in the schools 35,36,37 .

 In Texas, more than 275,000 nontraffic tickets are issued to juveniles each year, the vast majority for common school-related misbehavior

38. And tens of thousands of Texas students have been placed at least once in juvenile justice alternative education programs39 .

 Suspension and expulsion are often administered unfairly and they increase the likelihood of students’ poor academic performance and dropping out of school40, while having no measurable deterrent effect or academic benefit

41. Even worse, there is a direct link between suspension and expulsion and the likelihood of being sentenced to prison42 . 4

 More than 3,328,000 students were suspended and more than 102,000 expelled from public elementary and secondary schools in 200643. Overall, more than 29% of all public school students in grades 9–12 in 2007 had ever been suspended or expelled.

 Referring students to the juvenile justice system can actually increase their involvement in serious delinquency44 .

 Disciplinary actions are harsher and employed more frequently with minority students. In 2007, 49% of Black students and 27% of Hispanic students were suspended or expelled, compared to 15% of White students

45 . Black students are also more than twice as likely in elementary school and nearly four times as likely in middle school, . . . to be referred to the principal’s office for problem behaviors.46 .

Implementation matters: A review of research on the influence of implementation on program outcomes and the factors affecting implementation. American Journal of Community Psychology, 41, 327–350. 27 Casella, R. (2003).

Texas’ school to prison pipeline: Ticketing, arrest, and use of force in schools. Austin, TX: Texas Appleseed. 39 Council of State Governments Justice Center and Texas A&M University Public Policy Research Institute. (2011).

Breaking schools’ rules: A statewide study of how school discipline relates to students’ success and juvenile justice involvement. New York, NY: Council of State Governments Justice Center. 40 Maag, J. W. (2012).

To julian, love, your real mummy, joni-faith: of family saloom; and also dedicated to the real mommies and daddies of the real america and our children who want to come home

You learned to speak so well when you were so little. You always wanted to practice on the telephone. Mommy’s friends and Grandma Sue said how gifted you were, already. Some people couldn’t understand why Mommy never had time to talk on the phone, or even to answer the phone, when we were together. We were always together. You were always more important, and I couldn’t and never wanted to leave you for a second. I was too scared someone might kidnap you. And they did. I love you.

Grandma Sue Holding Mommy, 1978, Grove City, Pennsylvania

4 years old, Jacob really wanted to meet you. He had your picture that we sent him in the mail hanging over his Thomas the Train bed. He also loved Thomas the Train. He is just about one year younger than you. Jacob didn’t even know what a Wii or Nintendo or video games are because his mommy, like your mommy, thought they were not good for children who would naturally want to play them all the time instead of learning about other things.

MOMMY, OCTOBER 1978, GROVE CITY, PENNSYLVANIA

Shhhh, the Baby’s Sleeping.

Baby Julian Sleeping in the Beautiful Bassinet that Mummy Ordered Special for You

Baby Julian

Dear Julian, these are your maternal great-grandparents, Grandma Sue’s mommy and daddy. I thought you might enjoy knowing more about them when you got a little bigger, and are hopefully able to find this site. Can you imagine having thirteen brothers and sisters and living on a farm in Western Pennsylvania? Your Pappy “Red” did. He worked for the same steel company his entire adult life. Grandma Nancy didn’t work, but she went to college after all five of her children were grown and became a kindergarten teacher at a private Christian school. Grandma Nancy was a good wife, mother, and above all else, she was devoted to the Lord. She walked the walk. She always taught Sunday school at church. Mommy went with her on Sundays when I was little and still lived in Pennsylvania. Mommy was always at Grandma and Pappy’s house and at Grandma Mary and Puppup’s house playing and visiting. Grandma Nancy was adopted because her real mother would have had sixteen children including Grandma! Whoa!!! That is truly unbelievable to me. Back in the old days, however, having many children was very common, almost necessary, in times when a lot of people had farms and lots of chores in which the entire family shared and enjoyed the fruits of their labor. I think it would have been fun in some ways to get to take care of all the animals. You would be a great little helper, you always were. Although Grandma Nancy loved her adopted mommy and daddy, she always felt a hole in her soul that God filled because she didn’t have her real mommy. I hope she can see how wonderful you turned out! Grandma Nancy and Pappy were married for over fifty (50) years! Whoa, again! This is how life used to work, and the way things used to be for most families. They were very blessed to have found one another and to have had five healthy children who all had healthy grandchildren.

Finally, one of these things wasn’t broken!

Mommy used to love to play with Hot Wheel and Matchbox cars, and with everything Barbie and girlie when she was little. You also loved to play with Hot Wheels. I used to put them in your secret mailbox. Puppup used to have a secret drawer at his house for me, too, for whenever I would come and visit.

“Don’t get any big idea’s, Buster!” I’m only doing this to wear the pretty dress and carry the flowers. “Besides, kid, I work alone.” And I don’t smile on demand for pictures!